Heads turned when Xunaxa entered the tavern at the sign of the Black Bear. She was used to it, but it still hurt. It wasn't her appearance -- her hood hid her white hair, her grey skin, her black eyes and lips -- so much as her presence. She unsettled people.
Well, most people. Theayala was sitting at a table near the back of the common room, looking at her with a warm smile. The green eyes were the same, large and bright in the slim face. The greenish tinge of her brown hair and the nut brown of her skin somehow matched the deep purple of her robe.
Xunaxa returned the smile, hoping she didn't look awkward. Lowering her hood, and blocking her ears to the murmurs, she made her way across the floor to join the elf.
"Xunaxa. So wonderful of you to come." The taller woman rose and, taking her hands, kissed her lightly on the cheek. Her voice was warm and soft, like the breasts Xunaxa felt pressing against her through the material of the elf's robe.
Elves are supposed to be flat! Her tits are bigger than mine, how's that possible?
The memory from a week before, of that one night together, welled up with a shiver that slithered down her spine to nestle between her legs. Forcing herself to ignore it, she returned the smile and muttered something that she hoped sounded polite.
"Please, sit. Meet Lurrock."
For the first time, Xunaxa became aware of someone else at the table. A dwarf, almost as wide as he was tall it seemed, with a wiry dark beard that covered his entire face except for his eyes. His head was bald, though, and marked with a large tattoo. A hammer, to match the one that stood against the wall.
She nodded at him and chose a seat with her back to the wall. Almost without thinking she ran her fingers over the wood of the bench until they encountered an old nail sticking out. A few wiggles loosened it.
Beside her, the dwarf glanced at her slitted black eyes and grinned back. "Coming along for this little jaunt, are you?" His voice was like a rockfall deep underground.
"Whatever this little jaunt is." She looked at Theayala. "Your note didn't say." The nail was almost out.
"It is no secret. Simply a small job, for good silver. I expect one more, and then-- ah, here he is now!"
Xunaxa looked up, the freed nail between her fingers, and almost forgot to breathe.
The most handsome man she'd ever seen had walked into the tavern, pausing to peer around. Tall, broad-shouldered. Curly brown hair fell over a square brow. Between clear grey eyes, a straight nose led down to full red lips above a firm chin that showed a hint of stubble. He wore a jacket and tight leather breeches that clung to his legs in a way that made Xunaxa jealous of them.
Theayala rose and beckoned the man over. He walked with a measured tread, eyes taking in everyone else in the tavern. When he reached their table he halted. "You're Theayala? I'm Arivor. The Temple sent me." His hand -- lean, with long fingers and a scar along the back -- went up and pulled a pendant from under his jacket.
The Shield and Sword,
Xunaxa thought.
A fucking Knight of the Temple of the Shield and Sword. Whatever job Theayala wants us to do, it just became a lot less fun.
The man called Arivor seemed to have drawn the same conclusions about her. "A she-demon!"
She rose, fist clenched around her nail, and grinned deliberately to show her teeth and tongue. "What's the matter, knight? Afraid for your virtue? Afraid you might--?"
"Cease this!" Theayala's voice was still soft, but it held a firmness that made them both shut up and turn to her. "You are both worthy of being here. Either respect each other, or leave."
Xunaxa was breathing heavily, she realised. She wasn't going to leave.
Nor was Arivor, it seemed. He flushed, but gave a curt nod and took the final seat. Xunaxa let her tongue slither out to its full length before sitting. Theayala gave them both a stern look before turning to the innkeep and waving him over, then took her own seat.
"Tiefling." Lurrock spoke up suddenly in his gravelly voice. "Not a demon. Just a trace of demon blood." He seemed to want to say more, but broke off when he noticed everyone was looking at him. "What? It's important to get the facts right. Tiefling, not demon."
Theayala smiled at him. "Thank you, Lurrock. Now, we are all here. My name is Theayala. You are Lurrock, Xunaxa and Arivor. I have asked for you to join me in meting out justice."
"Justice." Arivor's tone held satisfaction, perhaps even a hint of eagerness. "The Grand Master told me it's about the goblins."
Before Theayala could reply, a low rumble erupted from Lurrock like a distant earthquake. "Mudspawn fuckers!"
The elf smiled at him. "Quite. And yes, my dear Arivor, the Grand Master volunteered the Temple's services in addressing the goblin plague."
"Is it really a plague, though?" Not that Xunaxa cared, but she sensed that her question would needle Arivor. She smiled sweetly. Below the table, her fingers were working at the nail, twisting and bending it.
One more link for Demon's Tongue.
Arivor turned his stern gaze on her, and it took an effort to maintain her smile. A sudden heat almost made her squirm.
Fuck! Where did that come from? He's pretty, but he's a boor!
The knight opened his mouth to speak, but Theayala was faster. "Plague or not, they are causing unrest, and the Citadel believes it is time to do something about them." She gave a sad smile. "It was that unfortunate business with Guildman Foffer's wife, I believe."
Arivor scowled, and Lurrock gave another rumble. Xunaxa looked a question at the elf.
"The poor woman was caught and... molested by the local goblin chief." For all the sympathy in Theayala's voice, the Guildman's wife might have been attacked by a kitten. "A reward has been placed on his head. We are going to collect it."
*
"Hey, Arivor! What does your Temple say about home invasion? Because that's what we're going to do, isn't it?"
Xunaxa put a concerned look on her face as the knight spun around. She'd discovered that the tall man took himself very seriously.
"This isn't a home invasion!" he growled. A blush was spreading across his cheeks, though. "We're doing the Temple's work by ridding the land of dangerous monsters."
She thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "I understand. We wouldn't want them coming to our homes and killing us without provocation, would we?"
"That's--" Arivor began, then paused. "Stop twisting my words. These are evil creatures. Just as my armour protects me," he smacked a leather gauntlet against his mail, "so the Temple and its Knights protect the land. These goblins have been stealing livestock for months and--"
"And nothing was done about it until that Guildman's wife was ravished by the goblin chief."
The flush, which had begun to subside, returned to Arivor's cheeks. He was about to reply, teeth gritted, when he was interrupted by a low rumble from ahead.
"Shut it, both of you. I'm getting sick of your bickering."
They turned at the same time to face the dwarf, standing further up the slope half a dozen paces ahead of them. Theayala, following just behind him, smiled and added in much gentler tones, "We are a team. If we allow discord to come between us now, what chance will we have in the goblins' lair?"
Xunaxa had been about to reply to Lurrock with a cutting remark, but the elf's words made her swallow it. There was something about the elegant elf-woman, with her calm demeanour and air of deeper sensuousness, that made her want to be a better person.
Arivor didn't appear to feel the same way. "For as long as this she-demon insists on taunting me, I'll defend my actions and my choices."
"Fuck you!" Xunaxa felt anger boil up inside her. "Who are you calling a demon?"
The look he gave her was full of disdain and distaste. "Your eyes are black, and slitted. Your tongue--"
"Ah, now we're getting to it! Been fantasising about my tongue, have you? Never encountered anything like that in your precious Temple, have you?" She let her tongue slither out, then licked her lips suggestively.
"Don't think you can tempt me, demoness!" The knight's cheeks were redder than ever. "Just stay away--"
"Tiefling," Lurrock interrupted. "I said it before. Tiefling, not a demon." And he turned and began to stride up the hill again.
Arivor looked as if he was about to continue the argument, then he shrugged. Throwing a dark look at Xunaxa, he hitched his shield on his shoulder and set off after the dwarf.
Xunaxa didn't follow immediately. She was fast and light on her feet, and not weighed down by chainmail, shields and heavy weapons like the men were. She could catch up in moments, if she wanted to. Right now, she wasn't sure she did.
Instead, she took a deep breath and turned to look back the way they'd come. Under the dark afternoon sky, the ground sloped away to rolling moorland and the village of Greybrook beyond. Their small party had set out from the Black Bear at dawn, with tempers already fraying.
It was Theayala who'd called them together. The Temple had sent Arivor at her request, and how she knew Lurrock Xunaxa didn't know. She herself had only met the purple-robed sorceress the week before, back in Port Mediston.
